No no
No to Imperialist war and sanctions. No to the theocratic regime in Iran.

December 25, 2006
iranian.com

After months of discussion and prevarications, the United Nations Security Council finally imposed sanctions against Iran on Saturday the 23rd of Dec 2006. Inside Iran no one is any doubt that Iranian workers and the poor will pay the price of these sanctions as the Islamic regime uses the excuse of  ‘new economic conditions’ to sack tens of thousands of workers,  to stop paying the wages of  thousands of public sector workers, to increase repression , while continuing its nuclear program.

 In the Nov-Dec issue of Radical philosophy, Étienne Balibar and Jean-Marc Lévy-Leblond write: “both the crusade against the ‘axis of evil’ and the renewed calls for the elimination of the ‘Zionist entity’ and for jihad are still tearing the Arab world apart. It is obvious for all to see that Bush and Ahmadinejad need each other and that the rhetoric of one is modeled on the rhetoric of the other.”

They could have added that both the supporters of ‘regime change in Iran’ (including forces deluding themselves that calls such change will improve the plight of workers/women/national minorities) and the apologists of the Islamic regime in the anti war movement, need each other and that the rhetoric of one is modeled on the rhetoric of the other.”

Events in the last weeks of 2006 have shown once more the perilous nature of both positions. The recommendations of the Iraq Study Group have not altered the threat of military aggression and now sanctions against Iran are a reality, the US/UK governments have not given up plans for ‘Regime Change’ from above.

At the same time a rainbow of right wing and reformist groups, some even claiming to support ‘workers’ rights, inside and outside Iran are playing up to this gallery, at times unaware of the disastrous consequences of simplistic calls for ‘workers trade union rights’, ‘women’s rights’ ... They cannot see that singling out Islamic regimes such as Iran’s Shia Republic  as the only forces of ‘evil’ while  failing to see the role of imperialism, capitalism and it barbarous wars in the region plays in to the hands of world capital.  Such campaigns, whatever the intention of their supporters, add up to no more than direct or indirect support for imperialist scenarios of ‘velvet revolution’.

On the other hand the apologists of ‘Political Islam’ in the anti war coalition have chosen to turn a blind eye to the most ridiculous situation in Iran’s Islamic republic where Ku Klux clan leader Duke and a range of fascists , anti semites made a mockery of  anti Zionism and anti imperialism , in the fiasco of Ahmadinejad sponsored ‘Holocaust‘ denial conference. They fail to see the disastrous economic and social consequences of the widespread ‘privatisation’ and  casualisation taken up by the theocracy in Iran.

In the midst of all this madness, Iranian students and workers have shown once more that they are well ahead of  both camps .

Around 1500 Iranian students protested in Tehran on Wednesday 6th Dec on the eve of Iran’s national student day.  Although some news agencies have tried to portray the demonstration as a pro-reform rally, the students slogans/placards were clearly more radical:

* Socialism is our way, it is the way to emancipation

* Socialism or Barbarism

* Students , Workers, Teachers – Unite and Fight

* Freedom for political prisoners

* We don’t want war- We don’t want nuclear weapons, we just want a better life

* The way to human salvation, annihilation of the Taleban ( a reference to the Islamic regime in Iran , students often refer to it as the Taleban )  

* True Emancipation, humanist Socialism

* Sexual Apartheid shows contempt for human beings

* Taleban Republic ( Reference to Iran’s Islamic Regime)  is denial of human rights

* Equality, Freedom, these are the people’s slogans

* Students fight, reactionaries tremble

* Execution must be abolished today

* Free all student activists in prison

* Students are awake, they despise reactionaries

* The University is alive and will remain alive

* Freedom for independent student organizations

(all slogans from Commite Sarassari Daneshjouyan Keshvar – National Committee for Iranian students) Police blocked off roads surrounding the campus. Thousands of students angry with  repression within the university, broke the doors of the Faculty of Science during clashes with the security forces. Student activists say that since Ahmadinejad's election 181 students have been summoned to university disciplinary boards and 105 of them were suspended as part of a crackdown against politically active students. Then on the 11th of December, The Iranian president’s speech at Amir Kabir University was interrupted by protests, firecrackers. One placard read :” Fascist president, Polytechnic is not your place.” A clear reference to Ahmadinejad sponsoring a ‘Hollocaust denial’ conference in Tehran. Other students set fire to Ahmadinejad’s photos.

In the same week,  workers protests continued. The following shows a tiny fraction of workers protests for a decent wage and job security in the last month of 2006. According to ILNA , strike by 800 workers in ‘Iran Sadra ‘ factory was continuing on the 2nd of Dec 2006. The local governor’s office in Bushehr refused to intervene and the workers protested against non payment of wages. According to reports from inside Iran, workers from ‘Ghove Pars’ factory in Alborz industrial town, protested Tuesday 12th Dec in front of the local provincial offices demanding payment. The production line in this factory was shut down in February 2005 and workers  have not been paid for 5months. 72 employees and around 120 retired workers face uncertainty , while officials fail to deal with their demands. The workers’ main demand is payment of unpaid wages and clarification of what will happen to production in this factory.

250 workers from ‘Farsh Pars Ghazvin’(a carpet factory) gathered on the 9th of December, in front of the local governor’s office in protest at the closure of their factory and the fact that they have not received any wages for over 4 months. Tens of protesting workers from ‘Poushineh Baft’ Ghazvin blocked all the roads leading to Alborz industrial town and called for an urgent response to their demands. Months ago, following the privatisation of this plant problems regarding payment of wages started and 700 workers face an uncertain future.

The workers have protested  on their own or with their families , they have blocked main roads, gathered in protests to raise their voice against the situation in their factory , however no one in authority seems to be listening to their demands. Three of the protesting workers have been arrested . A protest meeting by “Yassouj’ municipal workers was disrupted by military/security forces and tens of workers who were demonstrating outside municipal offices got involved in scuffles with the security forces. These workers intended to enter the Municipal offices in protest at non payment of their wages for over 7 months when they were confronted by the Islamic Regime’s military/security forces. A number of workers were subsequently arrested.

Of course over the last few months many rightwing, pro Imperialist forces have shed crocodile tears for Iranian workers. Tony Blair, New Labour and some right wing trade unions claim the war in the Middle East seeks to defend ‘Workers Democratic Rights’ against Islamists. ICTU seems to echo this position in many of its international posturing.  Yet  Iranian workers show in their daily struggles that as far as they are concerned the battle for democratic trade union rights are an integral part of the struggle against contemporary global capital irrespective of whether it appears as part of an Islamist , Christian or neo liberal ideology. Time and time again these workers have made their position against war and sanctions clear in daily protests and they remain the strongest allies of the anti capitalist- anti war movement in our region.    

Western radical forces struggling against Imperialism and its wars in the region have genuine allies in this revolutionary movement of workers and the youth inside Iran. It is time the left in the anti war movement woke up to such realities  taking up a  principled stance against imperialist wars and sanctions, but also against theocratic regimes such as Iran’s Islamic Republic. I urge  such forces to support the campaign :

NO WAR ON IRAN!
No to imperialist war! No to the theocratic regime!

 We recognise that there is an urgent need to establish a principled solidarity campaign with the people of Iran. The contradictions between the interests of the neo-conservatives in power in the USA and the defenders of the rule of capital in the Islamic Republic has entered a dangerous new phase.

US imperialism and its allies are intent on regime change from above and are seriously considering options to impose this - sanctions, diplomatic pressure, limited strikes or perhaps bombing the country back to the stone age.

In Iran, the theocracy is using the international outcry against its nuclear weapons programme to divert attention away from the country’s endemic crisis, deflect popular anger onto foreign enemies and thus prolong its reactionary rule.

The pretext of external threats has been cynically used to justify increased internal repression. The regime’s security apparatus has been unleashed on its political opponents, workers, women and youth. The rising tide of daily working class anti-capitalist struggles has been met with arrests, the ratification of new anti-labour laws and sweeping privatisations. Under the new Iranian government, military-fascist organisations are gaining political and military strength, posing an ominous threat to the working class and democratic opposition.

Paradoxically, the US/UK invasion of Iraq has actually increased the regional influence of Iran’s rulers - it lead to the election of the pro-Iranian Shia government currently in power in Baghdad.

This means that any support from the anti-war movement for the reactionaries who currently govern Iran and repress its people is in effect indirect support for the occupation government in Iraq.

We recognise that effective resistance to this war can only mean the militant defence of the struggles of the working class in Iran and of the rising social movements in that country. We want regime change - both in Iran and in the imperialist countries. But we know that change must come from below - from the struggles of the working class and social movements - if it is to lead to genuine liberation.

We call on all anti-capitalist forces, progressive political groups and social organisations to join with the activists of the Iranian left to both oppose the imperialism’s plans and to organise practical solidarity with the growing movement against war and repression in Iran headed by the working class, women, students and youth.

Our campaign demands:

• No to imperialist war! No to the theocratic regime!
• The immediate and unconditional withdrawal of US/UK troops from the Gulf region!
• Opposition to Israeli expansionism and aggression!
• Support to all working class and progressive struggles in Iran against the poverty and repression!
• Support for socialism, democracy and workers’ control in Iran!
• For a nuclear free Middle East!If you support the struggle for an Iran free of the oppressive clerical  regime, but oppose the war plans of the imperialists - join us!

Email: nowaroniran@yahoo.co.uk

Comment

About
Yassamine Mather is a member of the eitorial board of Critique, Journal of Socialist Theory, published by Centre for the Study of Socialist Theory and Movements, Glasgow University.